Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.IMPORTANT!

This is the ROBERT TEMPLE BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE. It contains descriptions and notes relating to almost 18,000 titles in the fields of British and American literature, being the bulk of the stock that has passed through our hands since 1984, with the addition of a few earlier items of especial interest. Books currently in stock are not included, and it is therefore necessary to supplement your search by looking at our Current Catalogues. For the most part full bibliographical descriptions are given, though for some earlier items, catalogued when computing space was more restricted the details given are quite brief. For an account of the conventions adopted, the abbreviations used, and reference sources consulted, please see our information pages.

Please note: The arrangement here is the same as that adopted in our current catalogues, and as there our larger files are presented in sections for ease of downloading. At the end of each section you are invited to browse the next.

ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.

MELVILLE (Herman). Omoo: A Narrative of adventures In the South Seas; Being a sequel to The "Residence in the Marquesas Islands." By Herman Melville, Author of "Typee." London: John Murray, Albemarle Street, 1847. Globe 8vo; half-title not called for; map frontispiece printed on text-paper; one illustration in text; pp.[xiv (including map)]+[322]; contemporary very dark brown ripple-grain cloth, blocked and lettered gilt on spine. Cloth cracked over joints and worn at fore-edge of front board; a very little foxing or light marking internally, but the text in general nice.

Sadleir, ‘Excursions', pp.224-5, not calling for a publisher's inserted catalogue; Blanck, 13655, calling for a publisher's inserted catalogue, 16pp. at end. The work was issued in two parts in wrappers, and as a single volume in cloth - the present copy in a contemporary binder's cloth presumably being made up from the wrappered issue. Blanck records three states of text: the present copy is of his state ‘A', with the signature mark P perfectly printed (no established precedence). Precedes the American edition.

ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.

MELVILLE (Herman). Omoo: A Narrative of adventures In the South Seas; Being a sequel to The "Residence in the Marquesas Islands." By Herman Melville, Author of "Typee." London: John Murray, Albemarle Street, 1847. Globe 8vo; half-title not called for; map frontispiece printed on text-paper; one illustration in text; pp.[xiv (including map)]+[322]; half natural calf, marbled sides, spine with five raised bands, ruled gilt, tooled blind, black label; burnished sprinkled edges; drab-faced end-papers; binder's blank at front and back. Some insignificant peeling of calf and binder's blanks foxed; two or three scattered fox-spots in text; otherwise a fine copy.

Sadleir, ‘Excursions', pp.224-5, not calling for a publisher's inserted catalogue; Blanck, 13655, calling for a publisher's inserted catalogue, 16pp. at end. According to Blanck, the work was issued in two parts in wrappers, and as a single volume in cloth. The binding here is certainly contemporary, but copies bound from stripped parts usually show traces of the wrappers at the inner margins of pp.160 and 161, and no such evidence is present here; volumes from the series have, moreover, so frequently been observed by us in a closely similar binding to the present one, that we suspect it of being a publisher's style. Blanck records three states of text: the present copy is of his state ‘A', with the signature mark P perfectly printed (no established precedence). Precedes the American edition.

ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.

MELVILLE (Herman). Typee: A peep at Polynesian life, During a Four Months' Residence In A valley of the Marquesas. The revised edition, with a sequel. George Routledge & Co., [36,] Soho Square, 1850. Sm.f'cap 8vo; half-title not called for; pp.[ii]+222; publisher's inserted 32pp. catalogue at end, on text-paper; brown morocco cloth, ruled, elaborately blocked, and embossed with lettering, blind, on sides, in series style, lettered and elaborately blocked gilt on spine; t.e. uncut; end-papers coated yellow. Anciently rebacked, preserving the original backstrip; fore-edges of end-papers and title leaf damp marked; otherwise a nice copy. Scarce.

Issued as a volume in ‘Routledge's Popular Library'. Conceivably the first avowed appearance of ‘The Revised Edition' in England, though the sequel, ‘The Story of Toby' had been added to the later John Murray issues of the 1846 printing. In the present edition the title leaf is a single inset. It was presumably printed as part of the last gathering, which consists of seven leaves.

ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.

MELVILLE (Herman). White jacket: Or, The world in a man-of-war. In two volumes. London: Richard Bentley, New Burlington-street, 1853. 2 Vols. in one, as issued; half-titles not called for; cancel titles; pp.[vi]+322; iv+315+[i (blank)]; scarlet straight-morocco cloth, blocked blind on sides, ruled and blocked blind, lettered gilt, on spine; a.e. uncut; end-papers coated yellow. Re-backed, with rather chipped original backstrip laid on (with loss of the ‘W' and ‘J' of the title; some wear to corners; front end-papers lightly stained, and neatly strengthened at gutter; some dusting and marking passim; a good copy only.

First edition, second issue: two volumes in one, and with cancel title-pages dated 1853. The book was published on January 23rd 1850, with title-pages dated that year. Only 1,000 copies were printed in all, but the book sold so badly that the print order for his next novel, ‘Moby Dick', published in 1851, was reduced to 500. Sadleir, ‘Excursions', pp.227-8, recording the first issue only, this one being apparently unknown to him; not in ‘XIXth Century Fiction; Blanck, 13661, note, recording the Howard S. Mott copy only of this issue. It is apparently scarce.

The front end-paper bears a welcome, neat, inscription dated 1872, the date of issue, confirming that this is the correct first edition. The front cover enamelling, pale jade green over gilt is very unusual. There is no list of illustrations, but they are marked to face pp.44, 144, and 351, and are here so bound in. Not in Sadleir or Wolff.

ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.

MEREDITH (George). The Shaving of Shagpat. An arabian entertainment. Chapman and Hall, 193, Piccadilly, 1856 [i.e., December, 19th, 1855]. Lge.12mo; light crimson ripple grain cloth, with two line ruled border, blind, and blocked, blind, with triangular, floral corner ornaments on sides, central lyre-shaped blind blocked and blind embossed floral ornament on back cover, lettered gilt on centre of front cover THE / SHAVING / OF / SHAGPAT in three sizes of peculiarly ornamented block capitals, spine ruled blind at head, and with publisher's imprint at tail in small gilt caps. enclosed within blind rules, three blind blocked bands with a geometrical design enclosed between blind rules on central portion of spine, creating four equal panels, the top and two lowest enclosing a basically square geometrical design, blocked blind, the other enclosing the title THE SHAVING / OF / SHAGPAT [short rule] G. MEREDITH. all in gilt; t.e. uncut, fore-edges rough trimmed; end-papers coated pale yellow. In general, a fine copy.

Sadleir, 1703; Buxton Forman, p.11; Carter, ‘Binding Variants', pp.136-7; not in Wolff. These record between them at least eight variants of the binding. The present binding agrees as to the lettering and the blind blocking and ruling on the sides with Buxton Forman's ‘A' binding (never seen by Carter), of which Sadleir's first copy, and Carter's ‘A' binding represent an almost certainly later sub-species (the Sadleir copy bearing an inscription dated 1857), their's having two double blind ruled frames instead of one, and a different, slightly more florid, central ornament on the back cover, although the corner ornaments and gilt lettering are the same. However, in the present copy the cloth is ripple grained and not ‘straight grain' as in Buxton Forman, or horizontally fine ribbed as in Carter and Sadleir, and the blind blocking on the spine is entirely different; Buxton Forman does not mention blind blocking on the spine, whilst Carter ‘A' has the title and author high up on the spine, which is not divided into compartments as our copy is, but has a single continuous decorative ornament running from that to the imprint near the tail. We would suggest that the present copy must be regarded as another sub-species of the Buxton Forman/Carter ‘A' issue, of undeterminable precedence within that primary group. Buxton Forman's description of the cloth colour as ‘carmine' may merely suggest that his copy was rather dusty: the British library copy of Carter ‘A', described by him as ‘crimson' has similarly now darkened to carmine. Meredith's first book. Number six on Sadleir's listing of comparative scarcities, in any issue.

ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.

MEREDITH (George). Evan Harrington. In three volumes. London: Bradbury & Evans, 11, Bouverie Street, 1861. (The Right of Translation is reserved.) 3 Vols., post 8vo, bound in one; half-titles not called for, but bound up without the initial blank to volume three; contemporary half-calf, cloth sides, burnished sprinkled edges; light drab end-papers. Unobtrusive repair to calf of front joint; one leaf re-inserted, slightly frayed at fore- and lower- edges, and a trifle trimmed at fore-edge; some foxing on half a dozen leaves; otherwise a nice copy.

Sadleir, 1695, not noting the absence of a sub-title in the English edition: the single volume American edition, which is dated 1860, bearing the sub-title ‘Or, He Would be a Gentleman'. Entering it as number three in his listing of comparative scarcities, Sadleir adds the comment: "Few Victorian fictions are more seldom seen". Not in Wolff.

ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.

MEREDITH (George). Vittoria. In three volumes. London: Chapman & Hall, 193, Piccadilly, 1867. 3 Vols., post 8vo; half-title in volume one, none called for in other volumes; final blank in volume two; pp.[2]+iv+317+[i (blank)]; iv+333+[iii]; iv+288; maroon fine morocco cloth (virtually sand-grain), ruled and blocked blind on sides, ruled, blocked and lettered gilt on spine; top- and fore-edges uncut, lower-edges rough-trimmed; end-papers coated pale yellow. Expertly re-cased with the addition of unobtrusive blue and white head and tail bands, the end-papers being replaced with period paper in imitation of the original; gilt very dull or rubbed on spines; early ownership inscription on upper margin of each title-page; three or four leaves in volume one badly opened towards gutters; otherwise nice.

Sadleir, 1706; Buxton Forman, p.41, not noticing the final blank in volume two; this title not in Wolff. Sadleir, XIXth Century Fiction, Vol.I, p.380: "Meredith . . . attains the extremes of rarity and commonness in first edition survival. Few Victorian fictions are more seldom seen than those numbered 1 to 4 below [i.e., in his schedule of Comparative Scarcities]: few so persistently met with as those numbered 11 to 13." The present title is numbered five - but in our experience is no less difficult to find than Farina, Evan Harrington, or Richard Feverel, numbered respectively two, three, and four.

ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.

MEREDITH (George). Beauchamp's career. In three volumes. Chapman and Hall, 193, Piccadilly, 1876. 3 Vols. bound in one, as issued; half-title present in each volume, but the final blank in volume two excised in this issue, leaving a stub; pp.[viii]+312; [viii]+318+[stub]; [viii]+339+[i (blank)]; brown sand-grain cloth, ruled blind on sides, ruled and lettered gilt on spine, all edges trimmed; thin white wove end-papers. End-papers strengthened almost invisibly at gutters; but a very nice copy, nonetheless, the text virtually fine.

First edition, second issue: three volumes in one, intended for private rather than library sale. Not a remainder issue, as is made clear by the appearance of the price ‘31/6' on the spine, which is the same as for the original issue. The publishers, however, saved a few pennies on the binding. Sadleir 1688, recording the issue in three volumes; Buxton Forman, p.48; not in Wolff. Number seven on Sadleir's list of comparative scarcities. In this copy leaf P5 in volume III (pp.217-8) is a cancel, as usual in both issues. A welcome inscription on the front paste-down dated ‘Sept 25 1877' gives a limiting date for this issue.

ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.

MEREDITH (George). The egoist. A comedy in narrative. In three volumes. C. Kegan Paul & Co., 1, Paternoster Square, 1879. 3 Vols.; half-titles not called for; last text leaf of volumes one and three a single inset (these, with the prelims., making up one full sheet); pp.[iv (paged ‘v')]+337+[i (blank)]; iv+320; iv+353+[i (blank)]; inserted leaf of publisher's advertisements at end of volume one; publisher's inserted 32pp. catalogue at end of volume two, dated ‘8.79'; greenish-ochre fine bead grain cloth, ruled black on sides and spine, lettered and with short rule gilt on spine; top- and fore- edges uncut; end-papers coated black. Front cover and spine of volume two a trifle rubbed or faded, and gilt a little dull; end-papers lightly foxed, with offsetting; otherwise a very nice copy.

With the bookplate of Viscount Birkenhead in each volume. Sadleir, 1692, describing the cloth as ‘small-patterned' - which may or may not be different - and erroneously describing the advertisement leaf at the end of volume two as integral. The Sadleir copy, like ours, has the misnumbered preliminary leaf. Not in Wolff.

ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.

MEREDITH (George). The tragic comedians. A Study in a well-known Story. (Enlarged from the fortnightly review.) In two volumes. Chapman and Hall, Limited, 193, Piccadilly, 1881. 2 Vols.; lge.f'cap 8vo; cancel title leaves in each volume; integral advertisement leaf, followed by 28pp. publisher's inserted catalogue, dated ‘November, 1880' at end of volume two (the outside leaves of this being folded backwards and tipped in at the end as a conjugate pair); diagonally fine ribbed dark sage green cloth, ruled blind on back cover, black on front cover and spine, lettered, and with short rule, gilt on spine; t.e. uncut, lower-edges rough trimmed, end-papers coated black. Very fine copy.

First edition, second issue. Not in Wolff; Sadleir, 1705, noting only the first issue. Sadleir, 1705, recording the first issue, with an integral title-page dated 1880, but otherwise identical, even to the date of the catalogue. The catalogue lists this title as ‘In the press'.

Publisher's file copy, inscribed in ink on the white back of the front end-paper "Received back from Mr. Meredith / March 20 1894. J.F." [i.e., Julia Frankau], and marked up passim with corrections and alterations for the new edition of that year. The title-page has been altered so that the imprint is all in one line, ‘Ld' replacing the ‘Limited' of the original, and the date changed to 1894. The corrections in the text are all of literals. The half-title has presumably been excised to remove the advertisements.

ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.

MEREDITH (George). Diana of the Crossways. London: Chapman and Hall, Limited, 1891. Pp.vi+398; bound from the sheets (v. note) in red half crushed morocco, matching oil-marbled sides and end-papers, spine with five raised bands, ruled gilt on sides and spine, tooled gilt in compartments on spine, blocked on front cover with the monogram and Tower Library logo of Lord Dufferin; a.e.g. Front joint weak; chips to half-title due to the careless glueing to it of a folded sheet of card (v. note); poor quality paper lightly but uniformly embrowned throughout; otherwise a nice copy; preserved in a red crushed morocco book-form folding box, spine with five raised bands, lettered on the spine with title, author, and Presentation Copy, and on the front cover with the words ‘The Helen's Tower Copy / With / Meredith's letter / And / Lord Dufferin's notes: this near fine.

Presentation copy with the author's twenty word signed holograph inscription on a leaf of blank paper inset before the half-title. Tipped-in before that is a leaf in Dufferin's holograph signed describing the added contents of the volume a folded cutting from the ‘Edinburgh Review' of January 1895 bearing a holograph note initialled by Dufferin stating that the article was written by "Mr Henry Reeve Editor of the Edinburgh Review" and adding "Mr Reeve was Private Secretary to Lord Aberdeen at the time referred to and the medium of communication between Lord Aberdeen and Mr Delane of the Times" an a.l.s 3pp. approximately 150 words from Meredith to Lord Dufferin dated from Box Hill Dorking December 29th 1894 making clear that the volume was presented at Dufferin's request as unbound sheets and adding "no copy of the original edition can be found." He goes on to thank Dufferin for sending him a book (apparently a memoir of Helen Lady Dufferin) commenting "A thought of these two books throws my wretched fiction into limbo shades." A constrained inscription and a diplomatic rather than a friendly letter. In ‘Diana of the Crossways' Meredith had made use of a story current at an earlier date concerning Caroline Norton Lord Dufferin's aunt that she had sold a ministerial secret entrusted to her to the editor of ‘The Times'. The story was without foundation and Dufferin took up the cudgels on her behalf - so effectively that in the 1897 printing of the novel Meredith felt it necessary to add a note: "The lady of high distinction for wit and beauty the daughter of an Irish house came under the shadow of a calumny. It has latterly been examined and exposed as baseless. The story of ‘Diana of the Crossways' is to be read as fiction." Inserted after the letter is the folded sheet of card referred to above to which are pasted three press cuttings dating from 1897 and more or less critical of Meredith. Whatever their subsequent relations Dufferin attended Meredith's funeral on Saturday the 22nd May 1909: an admission ticket is included with the book as is also a black bordered compliments slip from The Secretary of The British Academy and a copy of the Form of Service (covers detached from the last others fine).

ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.

MEREDITH (George). Lord Ormont and his Aminta. A Novel. In three volumes. Chapman and Hall, Ld., 1894. 3 Vols.; blank before half-title in volumes two and three, final blank in volume three; pp.[viii]+235+[i (blank)]; [viii]+240; [viii]+266+[ii]; olive green morocco cloth blocked and ruled black on sides and spine, lettered and with short rule, gilt, on spine. Front end-paper lacking in volumes two and three; library label removed from one front cover; covers dull, and showing slight general wear; end-papers cracked; in general a nice copy internally.

ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.

MEREDITH (George). The amazing Marriage. In two volumes. Westminster, Archibald Constable and Co., 1895. 2 Vols.; final blank in each volume, blank before half-title in volume two; pp.viii+269+[i (printer's imprint)]+[ii]; [2]+vi+282+[ii]; light lime green vertically fine ribbed cloth blocked and lettered gilt on front cover, lettered gilt on spine; a.e. uncut. Some very slight fading of covers, and a few insignificant marks on cloth of volume one; otherwise a fine copy of a book that normally does not wear well.

Sadleir 1687; Buxton Forman, p.114; not in Wolff. The first issue, the pagination being separate in each volume.

ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.

MERRIMAN (Henry Seton, i.e. Hugh S. Scott). Suspense. In three volumes. Richard Bentley and Son, 1890. 3 Vols.; half-title in volume two, lacking those to volumes one and three; rebound in near contemporary fine diaper green cloth, blocked and lettered gilt on spine. Covers badly damp stained at fore-edges; margins of one leaf slightly frayed and dusty; first and last few leaves in each volume a little foxed; otherwise a nice copy. Scarce.

Issued as volume No.310 of Macmillan's Colonial Library. Sadleir, 1723, and Wolff, 4768, both listing the English issue, which was probably, by intention at least, simultaneous. An uncommon title, and an early appearance of Rackham as illustrator. Projected by the joint authors as a collaborative effort, most of the pieces are in fact by Tallentyre.

ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.

MERRYFIELD (Frank). Molly's story. Being A Family History as related by a Faithful Servant. Edited by Frank Merryfield. In three volumes. Ward and Downey, 12, York Street, Covent Garden, W.C., 1888. 3 Vols.; half-titles not called for; diagonally fine ribbed green cloth blocked and lettered black on front cover, blocked black, lettered gilt, on spine; end-papers with fruit and leaf design in grey green; t.e. uncut. Spines worn at tails, rubbed at heads, and somewhat tired; all end-papers cracked; front end-paper lacking in one volume; some embrowning of titles, and some slight marking here and there in text; otherwise a nice copy.

Not in Sadleir or Wolff. A pseudonymous publication, ‘Frank Merryfield' appearing as a character. Almost certainly written by a woman, it beautifully captures the viewpoint, thought processes and rhythms, of the old countrywoman narrator.

ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.

[MILES (Henry Downes).]. Will watch: A tale of the coast. The narrative founded on fact, and characters drawn from life. London: W.M. Clark, 17, Warwick-lane, Paternoster-row, N.D. [1842]. Demy 8vo in half-sheets; half-title not called for; pp.[iv]+380; contemporary black half-sheep, ruled and lettered gilt on spine, marbled sides. Leather a little splitting at tail of joints, and a trifle worn at extremities and on corners; a little insignificant light dusting passim; in general a nice copy.

A rare title, not in Block, Sadleir, or Wolff; Summers, p.558. Bound up from the original 47 numbers (the last being a double number, and including the prelims.). The title ‘Will Watch. From the autobiography of a British Officer. By the author of Cavendish, etc., etc.', 3 Vols., James Cochrane, 1834, listed by Block (and Summers) as by William Johnston Neale is entirely different book. Loosely laid into the present copy are two clippings from newspapers relating to the historical originals.

ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.

MILLER (Thomas). Gideon Giles The roper. By Thomas Miller, Author of "Royston Gower," "Rural Sketches," "Beauties of the Country," "Fair Rosamond," "Lady Jane Grey," etc. etc. With thirty-six illustrations By Edward Lambert. London: James Hayward & Co., 53, Paternoster Row, 1841. Half-title not called for; title-page with wood-engraved vignette, followed by leaf bearing ‘Opinions of the press Of Mr. Miller's previous works', Preface leaf, and leaf headed ‘List of the plates'; twenty-four etched plates, and eleven wood-engraved illustrations in the text; pp.[viii]+376; contemporary embossed cloth, leather spine label. Neat repair to cloth at head of back joint; some foxing and embrowning of plates, and slight scattered foxing and dusting in text; a near-nice copy, nonetheless. A now uncommon title.

First edition, first issue. Bound up from the original 24 fortnightly parts, published between April 1840 and late February 1841. Until the end of 1840, the publisher's imprint on the plates appears as ‘Hayward & Moore'. Not in Sadleir; Wolff, 4795, listing the first issue in book form; Block, p.161, giving the date as 1841, and the publisher as T. Miller; Summers, p.106, listing no publisher, but giving the date as 1840. The present issue, in parts, and with the Hayward title-page, is the true first; the work was re-issued with the Miller title-page, in one volume, priced at 13s., in the spring of 1841; and the book was finally remaindered by H.G. Bohn (possibly still with the Miller title-page) at 6s., in November 1841. A novel of social injustice, and an attempt, according to the author's Preface, "to produce a true English work - to make the scenery and characters thoroughly English, while the chief events of the story are such as have fallen under my own observation, and the interest centres on the effect produced by an unjust and cruel English law. . . ." Miller, who was also a poet, was originally a basket-maker in Gainsborough.

Issued in fifty penny numbers, the first two "presented with this week's no. of Home Magazine", the remaining forty-eight "Published by Henry Lea 22 Warwick Lane"; the stock of sheets appears then to have been taken over by Ward & Lock, who issued the sets as bound volumes, providing a casing and a title page bearing their imprint. The work was first issued with twentyseven plates by Phiz in 1842-3. Not in Sadleir, and this edition also not in the British Library catalogue.

ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.

[MILLS (George).]. The Beggar's benison: Or, A hero, without a name; but, with An aim. A Clydesdale story. Illustrated by upwards of 300 amateur pen and ink Sketches. In Two Volumes. Cassell, Petter, & Galpin, London and New York, 1866. Pp.[4]+[viii]+300; [4]+[vi]+306; claret morocco cloth, ruled and blocked blind on sides and spine, blocked gilt, lettered gilt and claret through gilt, on spine; t.e. uncut; end-papers coated pale yellow. Slight fading of spines; first and last few leaves a little foxed and marked; in general a nice copy.

Not in Sadleir; Wolff, 876, noting an alternative attribution of the work to Colin Rae Brown. A presentation copy has been recorded, however, ‘from the author, George Mills'. It is a readable and not uninteresting look at low-life in Glasgow in the early years of the nineteenth century.

Sadleir, 1736 and 1736a: issued originally both as parts and in volume form, the present copy being without stab-holes and presumably therefore of the volume issue. There is no list of illustrations, but they are here bound in (correctly) to face pp.34, 42, 48, 66, 73, 104, 112, 132, 140, and 172. Sadleir is mistaken in saying that the plates are all unsigned: Standfast's monogram appears on those facing pp.104, 112, 140, and 172. Rather a scarce title, having been "instantly suppressed" (v. Grego's introduction to the 1902 reprint). Sadleir, ‘Blessington d'Orsay', pp.313-4, remarks: "one is less surprised that it should have been withdrawn than that in 1844 it should have ever have been published. Many of the disguises are impudently thin. We meet the Earl of Chesterlane, the Marquis of Riverford . . . Lord George Bedtick - and other characters no further removed from their originals. Lady Blessington appears as "Lady Rivington" and is presented rather sympathetically as a cast-off mistress of D'Horsay, sitting at home and weeping while he paints the town red. The bulk of the novel describes in detail the riotous living of the hero and his buckish friends; and although d'Orsay himself may have been regarded by 1844 as so declasse as to be fair game for satirists, it is astonishing that a book should have been put on public sale describing Chesterfield as lover and financer of Fanny Elssler; picturing Waterford and Waldegrave in a brothel in St. Giles; representing the well-known auctioneer George Robins as surreptitiously introducing extraneous and worthless material into the great sale of Horace Walpole's collection at Strawberry Hill; and depicting several easily recognisable persons as the victims of horse-copers and fraudulent billiard-saloons. Yet the book was published; and Mills . . . was certainly a member of the very world whose antics he therein describes. Undoubtedly, therefore, his story was founded on fact . . .". Not only is this true of the story: the illustrations equally are recognisable portraits of the real-life models that Mill used. A fascinating glimpse of early Victorian high life! In this copy the following faults have been noted: p.28, last line, ‘censur' for ‘censure'; p.30 ‘-' lacking at end of first line; p.41, l.2, misplaced comma before third ‘of'; p.58, l.32 risen quad instead of full stop after ‘pages'; p.119, l.32, ‘has'nt' for ‘hasn't'; p.130, l.35, ‘i' lacking at start of line; p.132, l.9, ‘t' of ‘time' inverted; p.133, l.33 ‘-' lacking at end of line; p.138, ll.13-4, 27, 28, 29, 31, show badly battered type, l.22, ‘t' lacking in last ‘the', l.33, no space between ‘feigned' and ‘surprise'; p.139, l.7, ‘We're' for ‘We've', l.24, ‘expected' for ‘expect'; p.151, l.13, ‘toot-hache' for ‘tooth-ache'; p.157, l.18, ‘woul dcease' for ‘would cease'

ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.

MILLS (John). The Life of a racehorse. Published at The office of "The Field," 4, Brydges Street, Covent Garden: And sold by all booksellers and newsmen, 1854 [i.e., Winter, 1853]. F'cap 8vo; wood-engraved frontispiece and vignette title-page, both integral; large wood-engraved tailpiece; Contents leaf a single inset (almost certainly printed conjugate with the final gathering, completing the eight leaves); pp.x (including frontispiece)+141+[i (blank)]; glazed orange wrappers, printed on front wrapper in black; top- and fore- edges uncut; thin paper end-papers. Small piece chipped from paper covering of spine at tail; otherwise a nice copy. Very scarce, especially in the original state.

This title not in Sadleir or Wolff. A sporting novel, dedicated to Mark Lemon.

ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.

MILMAN (Captain E.A.). The Wayside cross; Or The raid of Gomez, A tale of the Carlist war. By Captain E.A. Milman, 33rd Regt. London: John Murray, Albemarle Street, 1847. Sm.cr.8vo; half-title not called for; wood-engraved vignette on title, signed ‘S W'; pp.iv+136; publisher's inserted 16pp. catalogue at end on smaller paper; pale brown wrappers printed in black, the inside and back wrappers bearing publisher's advertisements, the spine uplettered with title only; a.e. uncut; issued without end-papers. Paper of spine darkened and chipped at head and tail (quarter inch at head, inch at tail); slight foxing to first few leaves at lower corners; otherwise a nice copy, in remarkable condition for its age.

Opens with a bull-fight. Issued as volume 49 of ‘Murray's Home and Colonial Library' and bound in series style. The back wrapper describes the series as: ‘Published Monthly, price 2s. 6d., or alternate Months, Price 6s. in Cloth.' The back wrapper of the present copy lists the Monthly volumes to No.24 - that volume including this title as its second half. This is explained by the fact that all three parts of ‘Darwin's Naturalist's Voyage' have been included in one bi-monthly volume (No.12). The publisher's catalogue lists the series only to No.47. English paperback novels of this vintage are rather scarce. Neither this title nor this series is in Sadleir; not in Wolff; Block, p.161, citing the British Library copy only.

Not in Sadleir; this title not in Wolff. First issue, with the earliest date of the catalogue. A compulsively readable adventure story dealing with white traders in Zululand just before the start of the war with Cetewayo: presenting a very favourable picture of the zulu culture. In this copy the following typographical faults have been noticed (state or issue significance, if any, not known): p.50, last line, ‘l' lacking at start of line; p.60, l.17 ‘offensive' for ‘defensive'; p.109, l.21, damaged ‘y' in ‘craggy'; l.26, damaged ‘s' in ‘his'.

Not in Sadleir; this title not in Wolff. Later issue, copies also being known with a catalogue dated Feb. 1894. A compulsively readable adventure story dealing with white traders in Zululand just before the start of the war with Cetewayo: presenting a very favourable picture of the zulu culture. In this copy the following typographical faults have been noticed (state significance, if any, not known): p.50, last line, ‘l' lacking at start of line; p.60, l.17 ‘offensive' for ‘defensive'; p.109, l.21, damaged ‘y' in ‘craggy'; l.26, damaged ‘s' in ‘his'.

Not in Sadleir; this title not in Wolff. The cover illustrations are presumably by Wood. There is no list of plates, but this is a tight copy, that has evidently suffered no loss, and we assume it to be here as issued. The single plate is marked for p.289, and is bound (not tipped) in at that opening. There has certainly never been a frontispiece, which we have seen present in another copy differing otherwise in a small respect from this one. The present volume was purchased as part of a group of some dozen or so books in similar condition from the same source many of which had publisher's presentation or review stamps, and it seems probable that this volume also may have been an advance copy: we hypothesise it may have been sent out before the second plate had been prepared. Arguably Mitford's masterpiece. In this copy the following typographical faults have been noted (state or issue significance, if any, unknown): p.84, l.2, ‘self' badly battered; p.93, l.6, ‘secresy's' for ‘secrecy's'.

Not in Sadleir; this title not in Wolff. The cover illustrations are presumably by Wood. The frontispiece is marked for p.296; the plate is marked for p.289, and is bound (not tipped) in at that opening. Wolff, 4817, records another Ward, Lock & Bowden title by Mitford issued the previous year in a similar binding, which had likewise only one plate and a frontispiece by Wood. Arguably Mitford's masterpiece. In this copy the following typographical faults have been noted (state or issue significance, if any, unknown): p.84, l.2, ‘self' badly battered; p.93, l.6, ‘secresy's' for ‘secrecy's'.

The first issue, later copies having the edges trimmed, and end-papers of poor quality paper. Another of Mitford's remarkably nasty tales. Not in Sadleir; Wolff, 4813. A fine example of contemporary enamelled cloth, in well-nigh perfect state. There is no list of plates, but they are marked to face pp.90, 188, and 322, and are here so tipped in.

The second issue, trimmed to post 8vo format, and with end-papers of poor quality paper; the first issue had the top- and fore- edges uncut, the lower-edges rough trimmed, and had good quality end-papers. Another of Mitford's remarkably nasty tales. Not in Sadleir; Wolff, 4813. A fine example of contemporary enamelled cloth, in well-nigh perfect state. There is no list of plates, but they are marked to face pp.90, 188, and 322, and are here so tipped in.

Not in Sadleir; Wolff, 4815, describing an evidently later binding of diagonally fine ribbed olive green cloth, possibly with the same blocking and lettering. The precedence of the present binding is made almost certain by the presence of a neat contemporary inscription on the front end-paper of this copy, dated ‘Decr.10/98'. A vintage Mitford romance, in the course of which the hero becomes converted to Mohammedanism.

From the library of David Garnett, and bearing his small ink signature on the front binder's blank. Later designated ‘First Series'. A second series appeared 1826, a third in 1828, a fourth in 1830, and a fifth in 1832. Sadleir, 1752; not in Wolff.